How to Play

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Factions matches are organized as custom games. We usually coordinate through Discord.

Quick Start Guide

Join the Factions Discord and say hello.
Use the match creation channel to find a match.
- People can start matches whenever they like.
- However, to make things easier, we have some designated days/times, when people are encouraged to sign in. Matches start around this time, and continue as long as people want them to.
  - Saturdays at 2 PM Pacific (contact person: CupcakeTrap)
  - Sundays at 2 PM Pacific (contact person: CupcakeTrap)
  - (Interested in coordinating another day/time slot? Talk to CCT.)
Match rules:
- Match format. Matches can be Blind or Draft, but if Draft, no bans are allowed. (Just burn them on Champions who aren’t on either faction’s roster. Speaking of rosters…)
- Summoning a Champion (what you get paid for). Faction Rosters list which Champions are available to which factions. Yes, we know, some of these are kind of awkward. (e.g. Veigar is felis non grata in Bandle City, but we put him on the roster because, uh, I don’t know, he’s a yordle.)
- Submit results. Submit match results for scoring. The person who made the match should do this by default, but it’s good manners for someone else to volunteer to do it instead.
  - A skill adjust is applied, based on average performance data from thousands of prior matches, so there’s no need for perfectly balanced teams; indeed, playing with a much broader range of skill levels can be part of the fun, especially if you’re a bit masochistic.
- Allegiances, or lack thereof. You can play for whichever factions you want in ordinary Factions matches. (There are special “arc” events during which Summoners pledge to a particular faction for the duration.) After all, Summoner, you’re an ~~ambitious hired gun~~ idealistic international diplomat committed to peace and understanding.

A Note For New Summoners

Factions games are often mixed-Tier games. Although we try to balance the teams, you will likely be playing with Summoners both above and below your usual level. This can be a great learning experience, but it can also frustrate people who expect a typical League match.

A common scenario: you are a Silver and end up laning against a Diamond. How are you supposed to lane against one of the most skillful Summoners in the world? Sometimes this can be quite frustrating.

Two things to keep in mind:

It’s likely that elsewhere on the map an enemy Silver is laning against one of your Diamonds. Put bluntly, if you can just feed less hard than them, you’ve pushed your team toward victory.
You shouldn’t hesitate to ask for advice from the higher-Tier Summoners on your team.

And, of course, remember that Factions is meant to be a fun, casual game mode. Don’t stress. Feel free to ask for tips and advice after the match; high-level Summoners are often quite willing to give you some pointers. Factions can be a rare opportunity to get direct feedback from some excellent players.

How to Run a Match

Anyone can start a match anytime. Here are the instructions.

Select two factions.
Create a lobbby: Play > Create Custom > set name to “FACTIONS – X v Y”
Announce it on Discord in the #match-creation channel: “X v. Y open”
- Suggestion: set a deadline, e.g. 10 minutes from now, like “X v. Y open until full or until 3:10”. At that time, either go with the number of people you have, or cancel the match. I recommend this process so that people don’t get the impression that accepting a Factions invite means sitting around for 20+ minutes for a match to start.
Share the Champion rosters, especially if there are new people.
Check ranks using the winrate calculator. Then, either swap people around to balance things, or make sure everyone’s okay with the matchup.
Play the match. Try to set the tone appropriately: joke around a bit, be positive, and so on. Don’t become That Person™ who rages in a ridiculous Factions match.
Submit results through the match submission form. If you organized the match, make sure that either you send in the results or you know who’s doing so. (A reasonable rule is that it’s either the organizer or the first Summoner on the winning team.)